Each assistance group member applying
for participation or participating in the program is required to provide a
social security number (SSN) or apply for one before certification. Individuals
having more than one number are required to provide all numbers.

(B)
What
happens if an applicant or recipient is unable to provide a SSN?

Any assistance group member required
to provide a SSN who is unable to do so must apply for one. To assist with
applying the county agency shall:

(2)
Advise the applicant of the required verification for the social security
administration (SSA) if the applicant requests information on what verification
will need to be submitted to the SSA office. The county agency shall provide
information on what types of verification are acceptable for age, identity
and/or citizenship or alien status (reference JFS 07355 for acceptable
evidence); and

(3)
Assist in routing the JFS 07355. The form is completed
in triplicate. The original and the first copy are given to the applicant to
take to the SSA. The second copy is retained in the assistance group's file as
proof the notice was issued. The SSA will complete the lower portion of the
form and return the original to the county agency. The SSA will return the form
directly to the county agency unless directed to do otherwise on a case-by-case
basis. Applicants should not routinely be allowed to return the form to the
county agency themselves except in unusual situations when any delay in the
return of the form may cause the assistance group undue hardship. The SSA will
send a social security card to the assistance group member and, if any pending
claims exist, the claims processor is notified of the SSN. The county agency
will be notified of the SSN by an alert from the SSA if using the SSA's third
party query system.

(C)
What happens if
an applicant or recipient refuses to provide a SSN?

The county agency shall explain to
applicants and participants that refusal or failure without good cause to
provide a SSN will result in disqualification of the individual for whom a SSN
is not obtained. This disqualification applies to the individual for whom the
number is not provided and not to the entire assistance group. The earned or
unearned income of an individual disqualified for failure to comply with this
requirement shall be treated as described in paragraph (B) of rule
5101:4-6-13 of the
Administrative Code.

(1)
For those individuals who provide SSNs prior to certification, reapplication or
at any office contact, the county agency shall record the SSN and verify it.
However, certification of an otherwise eligible assistance group shall not be
delayed solely to validate any member's SSN, even if the thirty-day processing
period has not expired. As soon as all other steps necessary to certify an
assistance group are completed, except for verification of a SSN(s), the county
agency shall certify the assistance group.

(2)
If verification
of an already reported SSN is not completed at initial certification, it shall
be completed at the time of or prior to the assistance group's next
recertification.

(3)
A verified SSN shall be reverified only if the
identity of the individual or the SSN becomes questionable.

(4)
SSNs that have
been verified through the Ohio works first (OWF) or medicaid programs shall not
be reverified unless questionable.

(1)
A completed SSA form number SS-5 "Application for a social security number"
(rev. 8/2011) shall be considered proof of application for a SSN for a newborn
infant.

(2)
Matching the reported SSN with information supplied by
the SSA such as beneficiary and earnings data exchange (BENDEX) or state data
exchange (SDX).

(3)
Matching the reported number with the SSA's third
party query system, or

(4)
Observing the assistance group member's social
security card or any official document containing the SSN.

(5)
If the
individual has no social security card, SSA 5028 "Receipt of Application of a
Social Security Number" (rev. 04/2000), SSA 5029 "Receipt of Application of a
Social Security Number" (rev. 11/2000) which is for a SSN that can not be used
for work purposes, or any "official document" containing the SSN or if the SSN
appears questionable. An "official document" is defined as a W-2 form, a
railroad retirement, retirement survivors disability insurance (RSDI) or
supplemental security income (SSI) award letter, or another document containing
the SSN that by law or regulation is required to be verified by the SSA. The
county agency shall verify the number either by matching it with information
received from SSA or completing a JFS 07355.

(F)
What
documentation should be included in the case record to verify the SSN?

The original JFS 07355, or a scan or
photocopy of the social security card, SSA 5028, or SSA 5029 must be retained
in the case record. If photocopies cannot be made, the county agency shall
record full details regarding documents seen and in whose possession they
remain.

County agencies are authorized to use
SSNs in the administration of the food assistance program to the extent
determined necessary by the secretary of agriculture and the secretary of
health and human services.

(1)
States will have access to information regarding
individual food assistance applicants and participants who receive social
security and SSI benefits to determine such an assistance group's eligibility
to receive assistance and the amount of assistance, or to verify information
related to the benefits of these assistance groups.

(2)
County agencies
shall use the state data exchange (SDX) under Title XVI of the Social Security
Act of 1935 as amended, to the maximum extent possible.

(3)
County agencies
should also use the SSNs to prevent duplicate participation, to facilitate mass
changes in federal benefits, and to determine the accuracy and/or reliability
of information given by assistance groups.

(4)
County agencies
shall also use information from the income eligibility verification system
(IEVS) to request and exchange information on individuals available through
this system as specified in rule
5101:4-7-09 of the
Administrative Code.